Supporting entrepreneurs

The Innovation Hub at Carnegie Mellon University Africa empowers entrepreneurs, students, and industry partners to transform bold ideas into scalable solutions. Through business incubation, startup-industry collaboration, talent development, and entrepreneurship programs, the Innovation Hub is strengthening Africa’s innovation ecosystem and driving technology-led economic growth.

The Innovation Hub supports technology ventures from early-stage validation to market-ready businesses through mentorship, technical expertise, access to talent, industry partnerships, and entrepreneurial training.

The programs also connect startups with top CMU-Africa students to solve real-world challenges while preparing the next generation of African technology leaders.

Programs

Business Incubation

A 12-month program that helps African tech startups transform proof-of-concept prototypes and preliminary market assessments into scalable, market-ready products and services.

TechSkills Marketplace

A program that connects African startups with world-class talent. To support this collaboration, CMU-Africa co-funds the internships together with the startups, helping cover the interns' compensation.

Capacity Building

Mentors build personal one on one relationships with a startup’s founders and become intimately familiar with its business as it grows.

Meet the team

Stanley Mukasa headshot

Stanley Mukasa

Associate Director of Entrepreneurship
CMU-Africa

Email
stanleym@andrew.cmu.edu

Read Mukasa's bio

Amandine Kayizari headshot

Amandine Kayizari

Techskills Marketplace Program Manager
CMU-Africa

Email
akayizar@andrew.cmu.edu

Read Kayizari's bio

Patricia Musiime's headshote

Patricia Musiime

Program Manager for the TechSkills Marketplace Internship Program
CMU-Africa

Email
pmusiime@andrew.cmu.edu

Read Musiime's bio

News about the Innovation Hub

The African startup fueling easier transport for farmers

In rural Rwanda, fueling vehicles can be difficult, preventing farmers from bringing harvests to markets. Greenalytic Motors is engineering sustainable solutions built around existing infrastructure.

Combatting electronic waste with smart assistive devices

Geuza, a startup from the Innovation Hub’s Business Incubation Program, is recycling e-waste to create smart assistive devices for Rwandans in need

SLS Energy celebrates five years of growth at CMU-Africa

Co-founders of SLS Energy Léandre Berwa (MS ECE ’20), Chris Karera (MS ECE ’20), and Patrick Ntwari (MS ECE ’20) celebrated five years of the company’s growth by hosting an event at the Innovation Hub, where SLS Energy began in 2021.

Summit addresses Africa’s youth employment challenge

More than 150 students, faculty, industry leaders, startup executives, investors and policymakers gathered to address Africa’s youth employment challenge at the recent Pathways to Opportunities Summit.

Personal loss inspires creation of Check Me

Inspired by the loss of his sister to breast cancer, CMU-Africa alumnus Yuyun Francies Berinyuy and his co-founder created Check Me Ltd, an AI-based app designed to promote early detection of breast cancer.

From prototype to global recognition

Two entrepreneurs joined the Innovation Hub with a bold idea: creating 3D avatars that translate speech into sign language in real-time.

Ubuntu Challenge showcases solutions that can improve lives

Providing light in rural Rwanda was the winning solution presented at CMU-Africa’s first Ubuntu Challenge, created by CMU-Africa’s Student Guild representing the Class of 2026.

Experts focus on growing entrepreneurial ecosystems

CMU-Africa recently held the Summit on Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, which focused on the growth of entrepreneurship ecosystems to support startups in African economies.

Annual event

Pathways to Opportunities Summit

Students, faculty, industry leaders, startup executives, investors, and policymakers address Africa’s youth employment.

Learn more